Strike buffets S Korean airline

The strike is already hitting trade

A strike by pilots at Korean Air has disrupted services at South Korea's largest airline.

Thursday's stoppage, which followed a pay dispute, forced the airline to cancel more than 200 passenger and cargo flights.

The Korean government has said it is prepared to use emergency powers to force the pilots back to work.

A prolonged strike could damage the economy as the airline transports key exports such as mobile phones.

Government powers

The Korean authorities broke up a strike by pilots at Asiana Airlines this summer after it entered its 25th day.

Emergency powers enable the government to intervene in strikes affecting industries which are critical to the national economy.

There is no sign of reaching a deal Korean Air

About 500 pilots held a rally near Seoul on Thursday and more are expected to join the strike in coming days.

More than 60% of scheduled flights are set to be affected on Friday.

Unions representing about two-thirds of the airline's pilots are pushing for an 8% rise in annual pay.

The carrier has rejected this demand, offering a 3% rise instead.

It said the workers' demands were unrealistic, given rising fuel costs and fierce competition in the airline sector.

'Far apart'

"There is no sign of reaching a deal," a Korean Air spokesman told Agence France Presse.

"Both sides are running on parallel tracks."

The carrier expects increased disruption on Friday

Unions urged the airline to resume talks.

The strike could have a considerable knock-on effect on the Korean economy.

The carrier carries about half of the country's air cargo, including major exports such as semiconductors and mobile phones.

Only this summer strike action was narrowly avoided after Korean Air reached agreement with unions on minimum rest times for pilots after international flights.